Problems With Split King Adjustable Beds: yes, a split king adjustable bed can be an awesome purchase for health or lifestyle benefits. They’re massively popular right now for got reason. However, before you jump in and buy one, there are three issues you need to be aware of (and comfortable with) before you hit the buy button:
- The gap between mattresses can make it difficult to cuddle
- The motors can be noisy when moving up and down (read on to find out why this is more of an issue with split king bases than other adjustable bases)
- Changing sheets can be time consuming
Read on to also find out special considerations for a split California king adjustable bed, as these have their own issues.
Adjustable beds are often a non-refundable purchase (keep reading to find out exactly which brands DO offer you a risk free, in home sleep trial on their bases) so it’s important to go into buying yours with your eyes wide open. Let’s break down the three problems (and solutions) with split king adjustable beds so you can decide if they’re dealbreakers for you, or not.
Luckily, the list of benefits of an adjustable bed is much longer than the list of problems, if you want to read about benefits you’ll find them outlined here.
Top 3 Problems With Split King Adjustable Beds: Description & Solutions
1: The Gap Between The Bases Can Make It Difficult To Cuddle
This is a tricky one, because the reason you want a split king adjustable base in the first place is so that you and your partner can each be comfortable controlling your own side of the bed, right? But how well does an adjustable bed go when you want to be close to each other?
Apart from trying to stay balanced on one side of the bed, there are a few solutions you can implement.
By far, my favorite is a bed bridge, as shown in the image above. You can pick these up on Amazon for an extremely reasonable price (this one is popular). They’ll fill the gap AND allow you to still each move your side of the bed independently of each other.
You can also try tying the bases together at the legs using things like cable ties. I’ve seen other suggestions like using mattress toppers to cover the gap, or putting one sheet over the entire bed, but quite frankly those solutions are missing the point of the split king bed!
One of the best split king beds on Amazon actually comes with a bracket to hold them together, I’m not sure why more brands don’t do this!
2. The Motors Can Be Noisy
Ok. So this problem is a bit unavoidable. I mean, these beds have motors in them. Motors generally make noise when they work, that’s just a fact of life. However, there are things you can do to reduce the annoyance of the sound, if you’re wanting to move your side of the bed with minimal noise disturbance for your partner.
First, know that the technology in these beds is pretty cool, and most of them, I have to say, are about as quiet as you could expect. I actually own an adjustable base myself (though it’s not a split king) and it’s quieter than I thought it was going to be. And it’s a pretty standard model.
Second, if you think noise is a potential issue with split king adjustable beds, here’s my top solution:
Get a bed with great preset options like one of these.
Why are presets important? They allow you to move the adjustable bed into your desired position quickly and easily, without mucking around pressing up a bit more, down a bit more, up again….you get the picture. Many bases come with remotes that have the usual presets like zero gravity, flat, reading, tv watching, and they’ll also have room for you to set your own presets.
Take advantage of these presets to minimize the time the motors are working to move the bed, therefore minimizing the noise you create when using them.
3. Changing The Sheets Is Time Consuming
If you want to be able to use your side of the bed independently of your bedmate, you’re going to need to either get specialized spit king sheets or use two twin xl sheets. That means extra corners to tuck the sheets into, which equals more time making the bed.
However, there’s one handy trick you can do to make changing your sheets simpler: raise the head and foot of the mattress (with a simple click of a button on your bed remote) so you don’t have to bend down as far or stretch so much when you’re making the bed. Sure it’s not going to save you much time, but it WILL make the job easier.
A Note on Split California King Beds
In this article we’ve talked about the problems with split King adjustable beds, but if you’re considering a split CALIFORNIA king instead, there are some further unique considerations for you:
- The dimensions of a California king are 72″ x 84″, which does not correspond to any twin mattress size for splitting the bed (for a regular split king, you use twin XL mattresses and twin XL sheets, but these won’t fit on a California king)
- A split California king will require a special split California king mattresses (Saatva offer you the best split California king mattress and base set)
- Special mattresses also mean special split California King sheets, which you’ll find on Amazon.
Problems With Split King Adjustable Beds: Summary
So there you have it. Some might consider these issues minor, to others they might be deal breakers. It’s all up to you and what you expect from your experience with an adjustable base. Remember if you don’t like the sound of a split king, you could always choose a regular king size adjustable base instead.
